Press Release - Wednesday, November 17, 2010
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Illinois EPA Refers Pangea Ventures and Amigos Construction to Attorney General for Enforcement
SPRINGFIELD—Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Director Doug Scott has asked the Illinois Attorney General's office to proceed with enforcement action against Pangea Ventures and Amigos Construction, Inc. for the improper removal, handling, and disposal of regulated asbestos-containing material (RACM) in an unoccupied apartment building in Chicago undergoing renovation.
The apartment building is located at 7120-28 South East End Avenue, Chicago, and is owned by Pangea Ventures, LLC, 640 North LaSalle Street, Suite 638, Chicago.
In response to a complaint regarding the improper removal of asbestos containing materials (ACM) at an apartment building undergoing renovation, on November 3, 2010 the Illinois EPA and City of Chicago Department of the Environment conducted an inspection of the apartment buildings. The buildings consist of 24 units encompassing four addresses.
Throughout the basements, the inspectors observed pipes that had been stripped of insulation, insulation on pipes in poor condition, pipes covered with insulation that had been cut and removed and insulation off pipes. The inspection showed the majority of the disturbed asbestos was located in the ground level basements. The Illinois EPA samples confirmed that the insulation was ACM.
The Illinois EPA alleges that Pangea and its contractor, Amigos Construction, caused, threatened or allowed the discharge or emission of asbestos fibers into the environment due to the improper removal during renovation; they failed to thoroughly inspect the facility for the presence of asbestos containing materials prior to commencing renovation activities; and they failed to deposit asbestos containing waste material at an appropriate waste disposal site.
Illinois EPA has requested that a licensed project designer submit a program to determine the scope of asbestos contamination and the methods and procedures to be utilized to remediate asbestos contamination resulting from improper removal and disposal activities. Once the Illinois EPA has accepted a program, a licensed asbestos abatement contractor will be hired to implement the program.
The Illinois EPA will continue to provide technical and other support, as needed, to the Attorney General, as well as to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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